Set the table…

Here’s another gem, this time from Joel Paige, formerly the tech director at Kensington. This is from the “Excellence in audio through pre-production” breakout in 2005. Again, it’s so well stated that here’s an exact quote…

“Why is it important to be prepared technically? The value of “having the table set”. When you have guests over for dinner, your goal is to have the table set for them when they arrive. You don’t want to be vacuuming or still picking up…you’re prepared for them. Our goal in production is also to have the table set for our artists…when they walk in the door we want to be prepared to do whatever we need to do for them to create their art. Otherwise, not only could it be catastrophic in regards to missing cues and not being prepared technically, it’s also not going to be a great environment to create art. Our job is to be the facilitator and enabler for the creation of excellent art through the creation of the proper environment.”

I learned a long time ago the importance of having the table set before the artists arrive and now do it subconsciously, but I never stopped and thought about why. This is another quality that I think sets audio engineers apart.  My philosophy has always been to take care of my artists – whether making sure the stage is ready and tested for rehearsal, or helping our speakers put on their headset mics and packs.  It’s cool to hear a deliberate perspective on the why.